Sarah Bergmann

Mennonite Genealogy with Michael Penner

Sarah Giesbrecht nee Bergmann (1914-1997)

Obituary of Sarah Giesbrecht (1914 – 1997)

At this time of celebration and also of mourning, we echo the words of the angels, “Glory to God in the Highest”. The Lord Jesus Christ saw fit to welcome our mother, Sarah Giesbrecht, into his presence on Christmas Eve.

Our mother, Sarah Giesbrecht, was born on the 29th of June, 1914 in Rueckenau, South Russia as the second child of Abram and Katharina Bergmann. With the political situation being what it was in Russia at the time, the Bergmann family decided to emigrate to Canada in the early 1920s when mom was a young girl. They settled for a time in the small village of Hochfeld across the street from the Abram Giesbrecht family, a family with 5 boys.

Mom’s family, however, did not stay in Hochfeld for long, but instead relocated to the Steinbach, Manitoba area where they were instrumental in establishing the local Mennonite Brethren church. During her early teenage years, Mom became deeply convicted of her sins, accepted Christ as her personal Saviour and committed her life to His service. Also during this time, before the family again relocated, this time to the Ste. Anne area, Mom attended, enjoyed and excelled at school and was able to finish Grade 10. To her intense disappointment she was unable to continue with her education past this point because of the financial circumstances of the family. Instead, she, along with her oldest sister Mary went off to Winnipeg to work as live-in domestic help. In many ways this was a time of hardship – being extremely poor and living away from home with strangers who had different or no religious beliefs.

But there were also some bright spots. During this period, she was baptized on the confession of her faith, and joined the MB church. Also at this time, stilted letters began to arrive for Mom at the Ste. Anne Bergmann residence from one of the Giesbrecht boys whom she had, well, sort of known in Hochfeld. It was the start of a beautiful romance that lasted for 57 years. A short and mostly long-distance courtship ensued, and in spite of the misgivings on the part of some of her siblings, she married our Dad, Jake Giesbrecht on the 8th of June, 1941 at the Parish Hall in Ste. Anne.

The newlyweds established their home in a very small, very old, very ramshackle and very leaky house on the prairie in the Fortier area near to Dad’s family. Their farming endeavors began with the cattle given to them as wedding gifts, and the land that they worked. Their first years of farming resulted in a series of crop failures, not because of lack of enterprise or hard work, but because of the forces of nature.

Then the war came, and Dad was called up and chose to become a conscientious objector. He first worked in Clear Lake, but then was conscripted to the tree cutting efforts on Vancouver Island. Mom and her friend moved into a one-room accommodation in Duncan to be close to their husbands. Mom worked in the dietary department of the local hospital, while Dad was working on Hill 60 and living in the camp. Weekends were a joy although living arrangements were somewhat awkward.

At the end of the war, Mom and Dad moved back to Manitoba and bought a farm down the road from Mom’s family. While living here, their first child, Ruth was born, followed not long thereafter by another daughter, Edith. The family of four then moved to a larger home, this time just north of Steinbach, where Mom and Dad continued to farm, spending endless hours planting potatoes, hoeing beets and stocking grain, while continuing to provide a happy home for their children. With farming being particularly unprofitable, Dad began supplementing the family income by working on nearby road construction. Not long thereafter Mom and Dad gave up farming and moved the family into town.

A son, Jake, was added to the family, followed 5 years later by another bundle of joy, daughter Hildie. Mom was busy nurturing her growing family, sewing pretty dresses for the girls, dreaming up endless and exciting stories about ‘Truble Franz” (translated ‘Trouble Frank’), organizing birthday parties and doing all the other things that are part of the life of a young wife and mother. Despite the busyness, mom found time to be involved in many church activities and also to continue composing poetry as the special occasion required. At this time, Dad and Mom were elected to serve as a deacon couple in the church. This was an office they held for several decades and which they took very seriously and implemented very practically with visitation ministry at least once a week.

As we children were getting older, we were also gaining a new appreciation for our mother. We saw her as a soul mate for our Dad, a woman who was extremely diligent at her part-time job, a woman who consistently put the needs of others before her own.

After the older girls had left the nest, Dad and Mom moved to an acreage just north of Blumenort where they again enjoyed the country life.

Then, on New Years day, 20 years ago, Mom had what was probably a stroke. She recovered quickly, and resumed her regular activities. With all her children now away from home, Mom stepped up her activities of serving others. A particular favorite of hers was to bake buns and to share these far and wide. However, as the years progressed, signs of failing health began to surface. Maintaining the large yard at the farm became difficult, and our parents moved back into town.

Mom’s health continued to deteriorate, until she was unable to continue to live independently with Dad. She moved in with eldest daughter Ruth, her husband Wes and their family, where, with the assistance of the Home Care Department she was cared for for the next year. Then in May of 1992, she was admitted to the Resthaven Nursing Home, where she was compassionately nursed until her death.

Mom will be missed and mourned by her husband, Jacob A. Giesbrecht, her 4 children, Ruth and Wes Penner of Landmark, Edie Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Jake and Janice Giesbrecht of Blumenort, Hildie and Stan Wiebe of Kelowna, by her 10 grandchildren with their spouses and by 3 great-grandchildren, by her siblings and in-laws, and by their host of extended family members and friends. She was predeceased by her great-granddaughter, Holly Braun, by her brother Abe Bergmann, and by her sister Mary Bergmann.

We will remember our mother as a woman who had the joy of the Lord in her heart and who devoted herself to manifesting that joy in all aspects of her life.

The Family

(Unpublished, read at the funeral)

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